3/24/2013

Hey dolls, guess what? In less than two days we're heading to Uh-merica!! :) Neeeew Yoooork, concrete jungle where dreams are made, oh.. Do you have any (last minute) insider tips for me? To get into the right mood for our trip, we invited our friends over to plan the journey and get all excited. The theme was - how could it be any different - America. Therefore I tried a little DIY while T. made some delicious burgers. Please try that great recipe, you won't regret it!!Love, Julie.

Little DIY: American flags. What you need: felt pens, pieces of paper, glue and wooden spears or tooth picks

Ingredients:6-8 medium potatoes1 large onion3 garlic cloves500g (1,1 lbs.) salmon frozen (defrosted) or fresh3 tbsp. bread crumbs2 tbsp. olive oil1 free range eggsalt, pepper, dilljuice of half a lemon2 tbsp. of sour cream3 tbsp. of light mayofood processorHomemade frenchies:1.) Cut the potatoes in quarters, lay them on a plate and precook them for 8min at 750W in the microwave.2.) Preheat the oven to 450 F/230°, take a baking sheet+baking paper and put the potato wedges on it, sprinkle them with olive oil and sea salt. Bake them for 40-50min, until brown and crispy.Salmon burger:1.) Take the onion and garlic and mince them in tiny pieces. Cut the salmon filets also in 3inch pieces.2.) Put the onion, garlic, bread crumbs, the egg and the salmon in a food processor, season everything with salt, pepper and dill. Mince everything until you have a tatar-consistence.3.) Take the mixture and form four big patties, or six small patties out of it. Roast them in olive oil in a non-stick pan for about 4min on each side.Serve them on a shortly roasted burger ban, top it with veggies and citrus mayo - mixture of sour cream, mayo and lemon juice.

3/19/2013

One of the most trivial things I love is painting my nails (or someone other's). It's calming and quickly brightening my mind when I'm in a grumpy mood. And honestly, who doesn't like a pop of colour from time to time? Especially in spring or summer, beautifully painted nails are such a great contrast to tanned skin or perfectly matching with a nice outfit ensemble. Now after this ode to manicured nails, I wanna show you my latest newbies. I bought Essie's Bahama Mama about a month ago and all the other pretty polishes were sent to me within the last weeks. The brands appear to be among my favourites because of the wide brushes and because the bright colours are really long lasting.What are your brands of choice when it comes to manicure?Love, Julie.

3/17/2013

A couple of days ago, I've been invited to join two events of brands I honestly haven't been that familiar with. You possibly know 'Madeleine' - a high quality, kinda luxurious brand that can be purchased via catalogue or online. The second one was 'Romy Hubegger', a small Austrian label specialized on foulards and scarves. I'm gonna show you the pictures first and tell you more about the occasions subsequently. Have a lovely start in the new week, my dearest ones.Love, Julie.

The Madeleine event took place at beautiful hotel Sans Souci in the heart of Vienna. A lovely location with great food, nice stuff and a great showroom with exquisite fashion items. To give you an impression of the new collection, I took pictures of my favourite pieces of clothing and shoes. For more info pls check out the brand's homepage. I am also thinking about a spring giveaway with one beautiful sponsored Madeleine item worth 90,00€!! What do you think?

The second event was hosted by Romy Hubegger on the next day and took place at the stunning 'Sky Bar', a restaurant/café/bar located on top of the luxurious shopping venue 'Steffl', opposite of the famous Stephansdom. I was really surprised in a positive way, since I've only had a sneak peak on the collection of Romy Hubegger on their homepage the day I've been invited to join the event and didn't really know what to expect. But let me tell you, the patterns and fabrics being used for their products are incredible. Super smooth and super stylish. And there are pieces for everybody's taste in fashion, either it's modern or more mature - Katii and I quickly found our very own it-pieces. Again, I advise you to check out the website for further information. And to both brands a big thank you for having me!!

3/15/2013

After a wonderful week of sunshine and spring feelings the cold is now back. Of course you can choose between two different approaches to cope with that (change of) weather: 1.) dress even brighter and be the sunshine you miss so dearly or 2.) stick to the grey scenery and go out 'undercover'. As you can see in the pictures below I decided to go for the second alternative. For me, grey is not for mousy persons and a real colour you can wear in so many different ways.Here, I combined different shades of grey (how witty^^) and loved the understated ensemble. How do you guys feel about an all grey look? You think it's boring?Love, Julie.

3/11/2013

At the end of February, my girl T. celebrated her 21st birthday and I wanted to take it upon myself to do the party preparations so she could enjoy her day to the fullest. Ok, ok.. maybe that was not all altruistic because I never let others interrupt me decorating, baking etc. Additionally, she doesn't love birthdays the way I do and as I think that occasion must be celebrated properly, T. likes it rather quiet than standing in the spotlight. The compromise was a comfy little get-together with only a couple of friends, some more drinks and loads of sweets. I wasn't sure if you guys would like to read such personal kind of stuff, which is why I waited writing that post. My mind has changed though, since I totally love being given little insights in other bloggers' personal life. That really helps getting to know them better. Anyways, here's a tiny look behind the curtain for you, hope you enjoy it! Tell me if you like that kind of stuff and want to see it more often or if I should rather stick to the fashion part!?? Love, Julie.

Before and after / from muffin to cupcake :)

Little DIY: Dip the seams of your glasses in fresh lemon juice and quickly afterwards in (coloured) sugar. To help your guests remember their glasses, mark them with masking tape and write their names on the little pennants.

Other yummy treats: A super delicious bottle of sparkling wine sponsored by Kattus that pretty much reminded me of champagne (the second bottle didn't outlive the picture ;), a vegan carrot cake and a heart shaped cherry chocolate cake.

3/07/2013

I love baking! From time to time, when I don't want to make cupcakes or am in a bit of a hurry, mini bundt cakes - or 'Gugl' as we call them in Austria/Germany - are a perfect, yummy and easy alternative. I now show you how they look and what's even more important - how they are being made. I'd love to hear from your experiences with those mini cakes! Tell me!! Maybe you even want to try my recipe? :)P.S. Guys, I'm on instagram now (finally!). Give me some lovin' there, too. I'd love to browse through your accounts as well! You can find me here. And be aware.. I post a lot ;)
Love, Julie.

What you need: (for 12 mini bundt cakes or cupcakes) 100g Dark chocolate 60g Soft butter125g Sugar 1 Egg150g Flour 20g Cocoa powder1 tsp Baking powder Some milkOptionally:White chocolateSugar heartsPreheat oven at 160°C, cut the dark chocolate into small pieces and melt it afterwards. Put aside. Then stir softened butter with sugar until creamy and add the egg. Next, put flour, cocoa and baking powder into the mixture and add the melted chocolate. At this part I always add some milk so the dough gets more creamy. Then butter your baking tin - or if you have a silicon one like me - just pour the mixture in. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Try with a wooden spit if the mini cakes are ready or need one or two more minutes. Now, if you want to decorate them, melt white chocolate (or any other sort you favor) and top your mini bundts. Enjoy! :)

3/05/2013

Finally, the sun has made it to chilly, winterly Austria. Whereas Carinthia - you know, the tiny little spot on the map I'm originally from - is still buried under tons of snow, the first hints of fresh green grass and spring flowers are appearing in Vienna. But no matter the scenery, the beautiful bright sunshine has made it to all parts of the country and I can tell you - literally everyone is pretty darn happy 'bout that. With the first rays of dawn people were gathering outside enjoying their first chai/ coffee lattes outdoors and celebrated the sudden arrival of spring. I decided to do so at one of my fav. places, the Naschmarkt. Expectedly, a punch thousands of other people had the same idea, so the restaurants and cafés were bursting at the seams ;) Here's to another sunny couple of days! Enjoy your time, lovelies.Love, Julie.